Woodstock running back Donovan Brand breaks away from the River Ridge defense Friday. The Wolverines had little trouble dominating their first regular-season meeting with their neighbors to the east.
Staff photo by Erin Gray

WOODSTOCK — Woodstock amassed 406 yards of offense Friday in a 42-7 rout of River Ridge, in the first game of a budding Cherokee County rivalry.

Woodstock quarterback Justin Agner connected on 19 of 26 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, while adding one score on the ground. Wideout Reagan Amos caught both of Agner’s touchdown throws, part of a 10-reception, 136-yard performance. Amos also burned River Ridge’s special teams for an 84-yard kickoff return score.

“They were playing really deep on us,” Amos said, “so we just threw screens and swing passes, and it worked out really well.”

Working out well would probably be an understatement. Nearly all of Agner’s pass attempts were to the wide sideline, leaving Amos and other receivers room to break tackles and pick up yards after the catch.

On one second-quarter possession, Agner hit Amos on screen passes on four consecutive plays, moving the ball to the River Ridge 28. Two plays later, Agner pulled an option-read handoff and danced through the Knights’ defense, 20 yards for a touchdown.

The score gave the Wolverines a 28-7 lead with 3:39 left until halftime.

River Ridge’s one touchdown came on an 89-yard kickoff return by Jarrod Fletcher. The return cut the first-quarter deficit to 14-7, but it was the only bright spot for the homestanding Knights, who gained only one first down offensively in the first half.

Still, Woodstock coach Brent Budde believes there is plenty to improve on despite the Wolverines’ defensive shutout and a 400-yard offensive performance.

“There is a laundry list of things we need to work on,” Budde said. “The shotgun snaps go high in practice, and we get on to them, and I don’t think they realize how important that is every time. And the kickoff return, we just can’t have that. Later on, down the road, we’re going to have to get that corrected.”

Woodstock did have several snaps in the shotgun formation go either high or wide of Agner, and the Wolverine signal-caller was sacked five times.

Woodstock played a near-flawless game on the defensive side of the ball, something the team has been known for in recent years. River Ridge was only able to accumulate 187 yards, 59 of which came on a pass completion from Marcus Spears to Stephen Omorogbe.

“Offensively, we just couldn’t get ourselves going,” River Ridge coach Robert Braucht said. “Defensively, (Woodstock) played great. For as long as I’ve been here, they’ve been that way. I think that’s what they’re really known for.”

Budde was pleased with the scoring production, and what it meant for a defensive-minded program like Woodstock’s.

“We returned a lot of our skill guys” Budde said. “They did a fantastic job on the perimeter. Our running backs found the holes. It’s good to not have that pressure of knowing that, if your opponent scores 17 or 18 points, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be in a battle.”

The scoring for Woodstock started on its first possession, as tailback Donovan Brand dove in from 4 yards out to complete a six-play, 55-yard drive.

Brand led the Wolverines with 89 yards on 12 carries, and also added a second touchdown run in the fourth quarter, a 3-yard run to finish the scoring at 42-7 with 7:45 left to play.

River Ridge will have a week off next Friday before it tries to get back on track Sept. 5, when it faces North Atlanta. Woodstock will play its home opener against Johns Creek next week.

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